The rebrand of Snoop

A still from the music video "Here Comes The King"

            I’m sure you’ve heard that Calvin Broadus Jr. aka Snoop Dogg has changed his name, or rather the animal he calls himself, to Snoop Lion. The notorious rap artist who brought us “Gin and Juice,” “Drop It Like It’s Hot” and verses on countless Dr. Dre songs, has been rebranded. I call it a rebrand, but Snoop calls it reincarnation.

            His new album gets its namesake, “Reincarnation,” from his transformation. Snoop went from Dogg to Lion during a 2012 trip to Jamaica.  According to a press conference posted here, Snoop visited the temple “where the High Priest asked me what my name was, and I said, ‘Snoop Dogg.’ And he looked me in my eyes and said, ‘No more. You are the light; you are the lion.” At some point after this affirmation Snoop decided to join the rasta movement and leave the Dogg behind.

            It isn’t a simple name change.  Snoop says he’s done rapping about drugs (except for marijuana), sex and guns. He wants to make family friendly music. To promote this new image his new music videos are something you could easily watch with your grandmother. Snoop and his family were even stars of an Overstock.com commercial. Take a look:

            The Broadus family also made a continuation of the Overstock commercial in the music video for Snoop Lion’s song “The Good Good.” You can check out the rest of Snoop’s rebrand at snooplion.com and in the Vice Films—in association with Snoopadelic Films—documentary “Reincarnation” on Netflix.

Dogg or Lion, Snoop is still making music.  He was quoted in The Fader magazine, “Snoop Lion, Snoop Dogg, DJ Snoopadelic—they only know one thing: make music that’s timeless and bangs.”